1. Unit 4 Media Audiences
Codes of Practice

2. What is PEGI?
• PEGI is the Pan-European Game Information age rating
system that was found to help European parents make
informed decisions on buying computer games for
their children. It was launched in spring 2003 and
replaced a number of national age rating systems with
a single system now used throughout most of Europe,
in 30 countries
• Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all support the PEGI
system, as well as publishers and developers of
interactive games throughout Europe. The age rating
system was developed by the Interactive Software
Federation of Europe (ISFE).

3. A series of Content descriptors
• Game may contain some kind
of depiction of violence.
• Rated 7 – any violence can be
non-realistic.
• Rated 12 – Can include
violence in a fantasy
environment.
• Rated 16 or 18 – Can have
more realistic violence.
• Game may contain bad
language.
• Rated 12 – Can include
mild swearing and
offensive language.
• Rated 16 or 18 – Can have
blasphemy and sexual
expletives.
• This descriptor may
appear on 7 rated
games with pictures
or sounds that could
be frightening to
young children.

4. A series of Content descriptors
• Games depicting nudity or
references to sexual nature.
• Rating 12 – May include
words or activities with
obvious sexual innuendo.
• Rating 16 – Erotic and
sexual nudity may feature .
• Rating 18 – Explicit images
of sexual activity may be
included.
• This descriptor can
only appear on
games rated 18 –
depictions of
ethnicity, religions,
nationalistic and
stereotypes.
• Used for games
rating 12, 16, or 18
that may
encourage or teach
gambling for
money played in
casino’s etc..

5. A series of Content descriptors
• Games may
encourage the use
of tobacco or
alcohol in games
rated 16 or depict
illegal drugs in 18
rated titles.
• Games may be
played online.

6. The icons representing the minimum
recommended age.
• These are all the age
ratings produced by
PEGI and used across
Europe.

7. I've applied my PEGI content for my
game and this is how it looks.